Xtra Heat Nominated to Fritiche, George

Xtra Heat, the dual Eclipse Award finalist, has been nominated to two of the three stakes races scheduled for President's Day weekend at Laurel Park. Nominations to all three races were announced today.

Xtra Heat has been cross-entered in both the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (gr. II) and the $200,000 General George Handicap (gr. II), both to be run at seven furlongs. The Fritiche will be run Saturday, Feb. 16 during the three-day Winter Sprintfest at Laurel Park. The General George is the Mondayfeature. Sandwiched between these longtime winter fixtures is Sunday's $100,000 John B. Campbell Handicap, to be run at nine furlongs.

Xtra Heat, a winner of 18 races and $1,323,305 who awaits word of possible Eclipse Awards as champion sprinter and 3-year-old filly for her exploits in 2001, started 2002 with a smashing victory in the Interborough Handicap at Aqueduct on New Year's Day. Now her connections, owners Kenneth Taylor, Harry Deitchman, and trainer John Salzman, must decide which Sprintfest event to enter. Their decision will be predicated upon handicap weight assignments, which will announced Feb. 10. She will certainly be assigned a top weight in the filly and mare Fritchie, but could get a break in her impost for the General George, in which she must face males.

Last year Xtra Heat finished second against males in the Penske Auto Center Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr.I) and third in Laurel Park's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (gr. I).